Your small business’ website is often your customers’ first stop to find out about your business: its goals, its products and services, and how they can find you.

But how do you make sure your website is actually appealing to your customers? Here are five tips to keep your website user-friendly – ensuring people will stick around.

Ways to keep your small business’ website user-friendly

While there’s no hard and fast rule about what makes a successful website, there are a few things that are generally recognized as best practices.

Keep your text and background colours calm and easy on the eyes. Blue text on a black background, for example, is impossible to read – and nobody will try. Avoid distracting backgrounds as well.

Make sure your website’s navigation is streamlined and makes sense. Think of it from your customer’s perspective – do they want to click through five pages in order to find your hours?

Keep your site’s content concise. Readers should be able to find exactly what they’re looking for without cramping their scrolling finger. You may think your business’ origin story is important, but your customer likely cares more about your contact information or rates.